Valve mechanism for regenerative furnaces.



L. N. hie-DONALD.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR REGENERATIVE FUR'L'ACBS.

APPLIOATIOK FILES) JAN-7,1911.

Patented Man28,1911.

I 2 8HEETS8HEET 1.

INVEWTOR 75 704 f2 wmma L. N. MGDONALD.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR EEGENERATIVB FURNACES.

APPLICATION IILED JAN.7.1911.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

2 SHBETSS HEET 2 WQd/I Z1112 WITNESSES XL; 4221a,

LOUIS N. MCDONALD, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR REGIQNERATIVE FURNACES.

-3pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 191i.

- Application filed January 7. 1911. Serial No. 601,354.

To all whomit may concern:

ie it ltnmvn that l. lintls X. MCDONALD, of Youngstown, in the county of. Mahonin; and State of Ohio. have invented new and u eful improvements in Valve Mechanism for Regenerative Furnaces. of which the following is a full, clear. and exact deseription, rei'erence being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this s recitication.

My in ention relates to the construction and arrangem nt of the valves used in regulating the foiv into and out of regenerativet'urnaccs, of the air and gases passed into and through such furnaces. and more particularl relates to the construction and arrangement of the reversing valves and stack valves and valve operating mechanism employed in connection with s\:c ---f'ii'1iaces. lleretofore. in the operation of Lori-n regenerativefurnaces, the main gas lines leading from the gas producers become directly connected to the staclcfiues through the partly open reversing valves, during the. interval the valves are being actuated through the frequent. reversing movements necessary to change the direction of llow of the gases through the furnace and furnace regenerators.

()ne object of my invention is to provide an improved valve mechanism adapted for use in regulating and controlling the air and gases passing into and out of the regenerator chambers of regenerative open hearth and heating furnaces and to provide apparatus having novel means whereby connection of the main gas flue through the reversing valves with the stack flue during the reversing movements of the gas reversing valves is automatically prevented, the escape of unburned gases is obviated and escape of unburned gases from the main gas flue, through the reversing valve, into the stack flue rendered practically impossible.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing a reversing valve (of the Dyblie type) as applied for use to the gas lines of a regenerative furnace. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line II-II of Fig. 1. showing the arrangement and relative location of the gas flues, regenerator lines and stack flue.

In the drawings, 2 designates a main gas flue leading from a gas producer or other source of gas supply and 3 is a flue connection leading from a reversing valve 4 b0 the stack flue A flue conncctionjG is provided leading from the stack which connects to the air valves of the rcgem-rative furnace. The gas reversing valve 4 is employed to connect the gas regcnerator lines 7 and S with the gas llue 2 and inlet 3 leading to the stack flue 5. Flues 9 and 10 which lead respectively to the air regenerators located at the oppositeends of regenerative furna ":s are provided with connecting tlucs ll and 12 \vhichare arranged in a suitable location relative to the air inlet (3 leading into the stack tine. A suitable valve ..'ustnill v of the Siemens buttm'tl t vpe. is employed to connect the lines 9 and 10 from the air rcgencrators with the inlet leading to the. stack flue Located betvvccn the branch flue 3 leading to the reversing valve 4 and the branch flue 6 connecting the air valve with the stack flue 5, is a shutter or damper valve 13 which is mounted in suitable recesses or grooves in the opposite side walls of the flue. so as to be slidinglv movable in a vertical direction in opening and closing or shutting otl the line connection 3 from the stack tlue In the drawings. a rotarv reversing valve 4 of the Dyblic type is shown emplovcd to connect the gas and stack tines with the gas regenerator lines. A suitable turning mechanism is provided with this type of alve in which the first movement in the reversing operation is to lift the casing of the valve 4 vertically in order to raise the bottom marginal edge 4 of the partition in the valve above the upper marginal edge of thevvater seal 14- vvhich 1S placed on top of" the masonrv in which the vertically extending flue outlets are formed.

As shown in the drawings, a valve stem or rod 15 is Cll'lPlQYCdiO connect the valve. casing 6 with a chain or other flexible connection 16 hich is suspended from the lever 17. The lever 17 is pivoted at an intermediate point in its length from a bracket: 19 which is secured as shown to the floor beams 9.0, covering the valve pit usually emplovcd in connection with regenerative fur naces. In cases where the outlets fron he gas and regcnerator lines are led upwardly to the floor level the bracket 18 ma} be suspended from the roofof the furnace build ing or other suitable supporting framework. On one end of the leverrl'i' is a chain or flexible connection 21 which is adjustably connected to the rod .22 which in turn is connected by its-lower end to the vertically movable hamper valve 1-"). As shown, the damper valve 13 is formed of two plates spaced apart from each other to provide a water space for keeping the valve cool and preventing excessive warping thereof. Suitable connections are also employed to lead the cooling water into and out of the valve; this damper construction, howmer. not forming part of my invention, is not further described.

One end f the lever 17 provided with a cotmterweight which is employed to eounter-balanee or partly eonuter-balaut'e the damper valve 1 this c nstruction permitting the stack valve or damper being opened and held open to a greater or lesser extent when the reversing alve is in its closed or operative position.

In the drawings, the casing 4 of the. l) vh-. he 'alve IS shown in its lifted position and with the valve rotated through half of its travel in reversing the furnace. \l'heu in this positi n and while the valve being. rolate l. unburned gases are free ti) flow from the line. i and branch 2 and under the heels the l'tYtl'HHjJ valve 1 \\ltlt the stat-lg .-artition l" in the valve casing -i into the opening 3" leading to the branch line I. which t-onneets int the t-l;t('l\' line The rotary movem nt of the valve continued froiu'thc po-ition shown until the partition wall 4" in the valve is in line with one or the other oi the transverse troughs or reees es 5. 5". i

which are provided in the top ot the water pan ll forming the water eal of this t 'vpe ol valve.

"hen the valve l')U(l V 4 has been rotated to bring the partition t in line with one or the other of the recesses 5", 5}, the valve is low- 'ered by lifting upon the staelc'valve rod .22

until the lower marginal edge =1 of the partiti n in the valve i is below the surlaee of the water maintained in the pan H. \Vhen so lowered. the opening 2 leading into the gas tlue 2 is connected with the opening 8 m nt of the valve 1- is completed, and the -crum so as to lower the outer end of this lever and simultaneously with the tilting I movementof the valve 1 lower thedatnper valve 13 into the position 41mm. l t r the valve i: moved into position to reverse the furna e, the easing is lUWth-zl; as has been before d s ribed. \Vla-n this occurs the eountewweight end of the lever 17 is th en lowered and its; opposite end lifted' and simultaneously with the lowering of the easing the thinner 13 will be raised so as to suming that: the partition 1 is now lowered into the recess 5 in the trough H. the unburned gases will pass through the tlue 2 upwardly through the opening 2 in the. bottom of the water pan 1 t and outwardly from the valve easing through the'opening S in the bottom of the water pan into the regenerator ii'ue and after pas ing through the gas r generator eonneeted to the fine 8. in whit-l: the. unburned become highly h ated. will enter the furnace where the heated gases are n'iixed with air and burned. The produets of combustion will pass eat of the opposite end of the Furnace into and through the gas regent-rater located at; the opposite end of the furna e into the regenerator line 7 so as to heat this regenerator. The burned Q'tlF-QS pa.=s through the flue 7 and rise upwardly through the opening 7* in the bottom oi the water pan oi the gas valve. and then pass downwardly through the opening)!" eonuerting into th line Il \vhieh e ntlue. When the valve 4 is lowered in one or the other of its two operative positions. the damper l3 may be raised. (when desired, un-

tilei full ta k flue opening is obtained). so

it. to permit regulating o1 the'dratt on the t'urna e by mean of the furnace 'staelc. When it is desired to reverse the furnace the valve t is again lifted by pulling downwardlv on the rod as has been described,

too

and is rotated until the partition t i abover and in line with the reeess 5 in the water pan It. When the valve l-i lifted the eonn' ter-weight end of the lever 17 is also raised and the damper valve 11 lowered simultaneothl) therewith so as to shut. off the conne -lion between the branch tine 3 and the stack llue 'lhedamper valve 13 remains in its closed position until the lifting moveturniug movement of the valve has been aeeomplished. and the valve is again lowered into its sealing position. -In this regard it. will he noted that estape of unburned gases from the gas flue 2 through the valve 4' into the branch 3 leading to the staelc fine is effeetivelv prevented during the reversing movement of the valve. in this way avoiding any waste of'unhurned gases which is present. with the reversing gas valves as applied heretofore on regenerative furnaces.

The above described operations are repeated as often as is required n reversing or hanging the direction of flow of the gases into and out of such furnaces.

The advantages of my inventien are. many andwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The apparatus is simple and is cheaply constructed and easily repaired. By its use the escape of unburned gases to the lIlO stack llue prevented and losses of unburned gases due to this cause overcome.

Although the amount of gas lostat any one reversing operation with the apparatusused heretofore is comparatively small, when the number of reversing movements required in a day or week, or any given time is considered, the volume of unburned gases escaping in this manner is very great, re

sulting in expensive waste, as well as being the cause of liability of disastrous explosions.

' By the arrangement of the damper valve and gasvalve and the operating mechanism, as shmvn, the damper is automatically .opcned and closed simultaneously ith the reversing movement of the gas valve, the occurrence of explosions prevented, and vaste heretofore present in the operation of such furnaces is prevented.

"Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made with out departing from my invention.

1 claim 1 25 1. In a regenerative furnace, a furnace valve mechanism comprising a reversing valve operatively connecting the stack and gas tlues with the furnace regcnerator fines and a stack damper valve adapted to prevent passage of gases through the stack line when in closed position, the stack and reverting valves being operatively connected together with the connecting mechanism con.,-tructed and arranged to move the damper valve into its closed osition when the reversing valve is operator to reverse the dircction of flow of in the furnace.

2. In a regenerative furnace, a, valve 4 mechanism comprising areversing valve operatively connecting the stack and gas fines with the furnace rcgencrator lines and a furnaces comprising a reversing valve, a

stack damper valve, a pivoted valve operating lever, and connections from said lever to valves arranged to close one valve when the other is opened.

l. A valve mechanism for regenerative furnaces comprising a reversing valve, a stack damper valvc, a pivoted valve operating lever, and connections from said lever to the valves arranged to close the damper valve when the reversing valve is opened in reversing.

5. A valve mechanism for regenc'ative furnaces comprising a reversing valve, a stack damper valve, a pivoted valve operating lever, and connections from said lever to the valves arranged to close the stack valve when the reversing valveis opened in reversing, the connecting mechanism being arranged to permit movement of the dam er valve to regulate the draft of the stack ue when the reversing valve is in closed position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

' LOUIS N. MCDONALD.

\Vitnesses J. C. Banners,

Jenn HULST. 

